(June 2015) When social media isn't helpful.

It's June. Already! Our little bug will be 5 months old on Monday and I'm pretty sure I'm going to forget. So, preemptive 5-month-old baby celebration. Woo! 

In other news (and I'm fully aware of the hypocrisy of what I am about to write), I really think the age of the internet and the ability everyone now has to share their thoughts/opinions on a stage for all to see/hear/read is doing more harm than good. 

I see a lot of good things, don't get me wrong. There are good things I have learned or discovered because of the internet. Coconut oil, for example. Avocado oil. Other recipes involving coconut by-products and avocado. 

I use facebook and read blogs a lot for work, and I have learned wonderful things as a result. I've made connections with wonderful, helpful people.

But here's the thing - I think facebook/the internet in general stresses me out more than it helps me. 

How many of you can relate?

How many times have you scrolled through facebook and finished feeling uneasy and under-satisfied with your own life, your own relationships, your own body? Or how much time do you spend dreaming on Pinterest and then looking at your own house with disdain?

How many times have you noticed your heart rate elevate after reading an article someone posted about another political stunt, or some other nonsense that doesn't actually matter but for some reason you've become super angry over it? As a whole, we're suckers. In general, we see something on facebook and automatically assume it's legit/get really mad about it. Then we proceed to projectile vomit our instinctive reaction into the comment box and click "enter" without first consulting our prefrontal cortex. 

How much of that energy could be spent on something better? Something like appreciating and loving where you are, who you are, and who you are with all the more?

The things we see on social media, they aren't the whole story. Even here on this blog I don't give you the whole story. You don't need it. You probably don't want it. I really don't want you to have it. It's just for me. But I am happy to share parts of my story. In fact, I love sharing parts of my story. I try to share the hard parts as well as what's good, because I think that is a more helpful reflection of what life is like, as opposed to much of what we see on our news feed. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, Don't believe what you see. I mean, just take it with a grain of salt/realism. Be content. Be calm. For goodness' sake, take five deep breaths (and maybe do a little research) before reacting to anything you see on social media. I think the virtual world would be a better place if we all did that.

But do keep posting recipes for avocados.